Kitchen Before & After: A Fresh $150 Kitchen Makeover

Reader Jillian was dealing with an very dated, dreary kitchen when she and her husband bought their house. In fact, the kitchen was one of the things that kept the house on the market for so long before they bought it.

With just a couple of updates Jillian was able to give it a fresh new look while spending only $150 on the makeover. Take a look at what she did.

(Image credit: Jillian Kirby)

It's amazing what a little white paint can do, isn't it? Jillian started by painting the cabinets and the brick wall behind them a bright white. It gives the space a fresh start and gave her a chance to play with a brighter hue in the cabinet backs.

Jillian was skeptical of open shelving, but writes "as a chef, I love being able to quickly survey my ingredients and get ideas from what I have."

(Image credit: Jillian Kirby)

The other major update that's a bit harder to see in these photos was replacing the overhead light fixture. The one that was originally there was heavy, and ornate. Opting for a sleek frosted bulb draws less attention to the light fixture, and let's it be a purely functional (but still beautiful) addition.